Amazing and Random Acts of Kindness.  That’s the best way I can describe our day today. 

Let me back up a bit — last night, at our church’s Family Advent night, my children couldn’t keep our auto issues to themselves.  They told everyone and anyone who would listen.  I was in the kitchen, helping to serve food, and had people I’ve never seen before come up to me and ask about our Suburban.

I was gone most of today, had to carve out the time to shop for DD#2’s birthday and Christmas presents (yeah, almost done!).  I returned home, had enough time to visit with the kids, then came up to my office shed to check emails.

There, amongst all of my work emails, was one from the blended service musical director from our church.  She said they had a large, 7 passenger van that she used for work (she’s a certified musical therapist) and she and her husband were offering it to us, to use until our Suburban was fixed.  She knew that all six of us couldn’t fit in the Explorer safely, and she figured the van would suit our needs.  She’d use her husband’s truck while he used his work truck for a few days.

Doesn’t that just make your heart swell?  These people barely know us — sure, we say hi and I am with their daughter on Wednesdays when we have Sacred Arts classes with the kids — but, they don’t *know* us.  Yet, out of the goodness of their hearts, they offer us a vehicle, so that our whole family will be able to get to and from church TOGETHER on Sunday.  I have tears in my eyes, just typing it!

Lucky for us, the transmission folks identified the problem the minute they put the car up on the lift, ordered the part (something about a shattered gear – for which they’ve ordered a heavy-duty one this time) and it should be finished tomorrow afternoon.  And, since it was under warranty, there is NO CHARGE for the towing or anything that they did to fix it.  There aren’t enough “Praise God’s” to go around, for this grand adventure, I assure you.

Thank you, Lord.

Thoughts for this Christmas Countdown Day:  Random and Amazing Acts of Kindness can only come from above.  Thank you, from the bottom of our humbled hearts … thank you.